A COVENTRY woman who says her protests against council tree-lopping policies were ignored has warned people to protect their environment before it disappears.

Peggy Morgan, of Holt Court, Allesley, Coventry, says that when a council team arrived to tackle lime trees outside her flats, she understood branches would be pollarded and brushwood suckers cut back.

The tree trimming technique involves removing branches in such a way that the tree regrows.

But Ms Morgan, aged 66, claimed that council workmen cut two trees off at their roots.

She staged a protest underneath the remaining three limes in Halifax Close but was told the cutting had to go ahead for safety reasons.

She said: "It's absolutely awful. It's the wrong time of year for pollarding trees and it's very bad for wildlife.

"It's not just the fact they cut the trees, they also had to get rid of saplings and under-growth.

"I know the trees will recover but the process will take around 30 years - and I don't think I'll be around to see it.

"I want to let people know that if they're not very vigilant about the environment, then it can disappear overnight."

Ces Edwards, Coventry city council's parks and horticultural development manager, said: "These trees were first pollarded about 20 years ago and once you start doing this operation you have to keep doing it. It creates a weak spot in the tree which is a health and safety hazard.